The ROCK Returns to WWE......

Dwayne Johnson returned to the WWE on Monday night, making a surprise appearance at RAW -- and it's safe to say following an electric few minutes on the mic and in the ring ... the crowd definitely smelled what he was cooking.

The 51-year-old -- who hasn't been seen in the WWE since September -- shocked fans at Pechanga Arena in San Diego when he interrupted Jinder Mahal's anti-American rant to open up a can of whoop ass.

The Rock slowly made his way to the ring after Mahal had bashed the U.S. in a minutes-long promo ... and when he eventually stood in front of the former WWE champ, Dwayne popped off insult after insult after insult.

In fact, at one point, Dwayne was able to get the crowd to call Mahal a "douche bag" over and over again in a unified chant.

Ultimately, a brawl between the guys broke out  -- but The Rock put an end to things quickly with a Spinebuster followed by his signature People's Elbow.

After Mahal ran away, The Rock electrified the crowd further ... calling out Roman Reigns.

Unclear when the two wrestling titans will now square off following the tease ... but you can bet it'll be sooner than later -- something WWE fans are clearly thrilled about.

Source: www.tmz.com

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